CenturyLink spokesman David Gonzales told The Associated Press on Friday that a hungry beaver chewed through the fiber line last week. He says the biting evidence was discovered by contractors who worked to repair the outage.

Officials say more than 1,800 Internet users were affected by the blackout. The number of cellphone users without service during that time is still unknown.

CenturyLink owns a fiber-optic cable that runs from Taos to Interstate 25.

The cable carries wireless data for many residents around Taos County.